Cops: Maine mother who advertised as Craigslist escort missing on Long Island

Cops: Maine mom who had escort ads missing in NY

PORTLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old Maine woman who advertised as an escort on Craigslist and traveled regularly to New York has been missing for nearly two weeks, police said.

Megan Waterman, of Scarborough, went to New York late last month with her boyfriend and was last heard from on the night of June 5.

Police were treating her disappearance as a missing-persons case, said Scarborough Police Detective Don Blatchford. Her Craigslist ads “might be involved in this,” but authorities were still investigating, Blatchford said.

Waterman went to New York with her boyfriend, Akeem Cruz, 20, of Brooklyn, over Memorial Day weekend and was last seen at a hotel in Hauppauge on Long Island, police said.

Waterman and Cruz regularly traveled to New York, said Waterman’s mother, Lorraine Ela of South Portland. Waterman always called three times a day when she was on the road to speak to her 3-year-old daughter, Liliana, but the last such call came at 9:50 p.m. June 5, Ela said.

Ela said her daughter was aware of the potential dangers of advertising her services online.

“We have talked to Megan about her being on Craigslist, but she’s 22 and it’s her life and she can do what she wants with it,” she said.

Cruz has been questioned by police and is considered a witness in the case, Blatchford said.

The Associated Press could not locate Cruz for comment.

Portland police said he was arrested in an unrelated case Tuesday. Cruz was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and criminal mischief for allegedly threatening a woman with a knife and slashing her tires. He was no longer in custody Thursday, jail officials said.